4K video streaming might not be a deal breaker for most because there isn’t much 4K content available yet. Plus, most of us haven’t splurged on a new 4K TV yet. But the new Apple TV’s high price tag doesn’t make a strong case when the others do pretty much the same things for less.

If you want a good, basic media streamer, the Amazon Fire TV may be the one for you. Just consider that it won’t let you stream music from your Apple devices because it’s not compatible with iOS.

If you want a powerhouse media streamer that’s great for playing games, the NVidia Shield would be your best choice as it comes with a game controller, but the remote is sold separately for a pricey $US49.99 extra.

The Roku 4 has some great features, like a headphone jack in the remote itself so you can stream video without disturbing anyone around you. It also supports 4K TVs if you have one.